The village of Orola is located 10 km from the village of Paranga in the Republic of Mari El. According to legend, it was founded by Mari settlers from the banks of the Vyatka River, near the ancient settlements of the Udmurts. However, after a while they left these places.
It is believed that the name of the village comes from the word "orol" (that is, "guard") and is due to the fact that the Mari constantly had to guard their settlement from the raids of robbers. There are 6 kusoto (kyusoto) (sacred groves) around the village of Orola. In the XX century, a dam was built on the river, and one of the groves ended up on the territory of the foundation pit. None of the local residents agreed to cut down the sacred pumash trees.
Then for this purpose they hired visiting workers who willingly knocked down the forest. However, on the way back, three of the four died in a car accident. It is said that after recuperating, the survivor returned to Orola. He heard the stories of local residents that the grove he had destroyed was sacred, and after the tragedy he believed that he had been punished for his unseemly act. The worker repented of his atrocity and even brought gifts to the Mari gods.
The beliefs of this people are quite simple. People deify nature as a whole and each of its phenomena separately. Sacred groves, according to the belief of the Mari, are places of happiness on earth, where you can directly communicate with the forces of nature.
In each such grove, the main tree is certainly distinguished, which is called "onapu". It is believed that it connects the earthly world with the heavenly. Since the groves are sacred, only a pure soul and body are allowed to enter.
There is a legend among the local population: “one card came to the service not very sober, people murmured to themselves, but kept silent. And in the evening, the strongest hail fell on the village, which knocked out all the crops. It was heavenly punishment."
Previously, there were 8 sacred groves around Orola: 7 according to the number of communities and the eighth for all. Currently, only 6 kusotos remain, but only three of them still perform ancient rituals. It should be noted that in the sacred groves it is forbidden not only to cut trees, but also to pick mushrooms, berries and even brushwood.
Each grove has its own name, they all differ from each other. For example, the oldest of the sacred groves is Levantikusoto. The trees growing there are 150 years old. In Merkusoto, unlike other groves, it is possible to pick mushrooms and lime blossom, while in Vesmogurkusoto, on the contrary, the prohibitions are very strict.
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Linden, oak and birch are especially revered among the Mari people. From ancient times to this day, people believe that the forest can heal almost any ailment. For this, a man needs to go to an oak tree for help, a woman to a linden tree, and children to a birch tree.
Feast in the sacred grove
From an interview with Iraida Stepanova, the author of the book "Kusoto" published in 2012 in Yoshkar-Ola:
How many main groves are there in Mari El?
Iraida Stepanova: Your question cannot be answered unequivocally, because there are groves that are active, and there are those that are not. Somewhere villages have disappeared, and people come or come to the grove to pray. And there is such that the village is still alive, but they do not go to the grove.
What is it connected with?
“This is due to the fact that when the atheistic policy of the Soviet regime was pursued, there were strong persecutions against people who went to pray in the groves, - they did not allow them to visit the groves, the police drove people out during the prayers … Those were terrible times. We also do not currently have an institute to train elders who can conduct prayers. But there must be great knowledge in the field of religion, rituals, and a person must be ready for this morally and spiritually.
The fact that the public organization "Mari Kumaltysh" is working in the republic has a positive effect, helping people to revive prayers in the sacred groves. And we can say that in recent years there are more people who have begun to return and become interested in their traditional religion.
What is the attitude of young people to the traditional Mari religion? Do youth attend prayers?
- In recent years, young people have become more interested in the Mari religion, its national identity is gradually waking up. It is important to say that no one forces anyone to go to prayers in the groves. If you want, you go - everything should be at the behest of the soul.
Young people most often first just come to see, because they are interested, or to help their elders, and then gradually they themselves begin to take an interest. I also think that young people, being in a grove, begin to feel the forces of nature - they attract. After all, since ancient times it has happened that prayer is a holiday for the soul. At such moments, your soul is filled with joy and you want to dissolve in it.